Las Vegas Strip drivers are complaining about traffic tie-ups and closed lanes due to ongoing road and infrastructure improvements. Traffic at times has come to a complete standstill on Las Vegas Boulevard, Sahara Avenue, and other key roads.
It also becomes difficult to drive into gaming property parking garages, as well as to arrive at hotels, restaurants, and stores. Often, traffic is limited to one lane in each direction.
For instance, the main entrance to the Sahara Las Vegas was blocked off for a while. It is now reopen, KLAS, a local TV station, reported.
It takes me forever to get home on a 25-minute drive,” one aggravated driver, Dailin Ochoa, recently told KLAS. “It takes me 30 to 40 minutes.”
“Two nights in a row now,… I still found myself having to work my way through traffic,” added Alicia Risko.
The project began in 2019 and will not be finished until at least May 2024, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It is divided into seven phases.
The project becomes more difficult because Las Vegas Boulevard is a well-traveled thoroughfare with between 36,000 and 60,000 vehicles traveling on the road daily during peak hours, the Review-Journal said, citing Clark County estimates.
But Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin told Casino.org, construction crews are attempting to minimize the impact on drivers, as he says they do with all road projects.
For example, construction is done during off-peak hours whenever possible, and may be curtailed on days when significant traffic is expected due to special events,” Kulin said. Work schedules also are adjusted to decrease the number of days the road will be impacted, he adds.
Among the projects now underway are water line replacements, improvements to storm drains, new pavement and landscaping, as well as upgrades to pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, and street lights.
One project is expected to be completed next month on Las Vegas Boulevard between Spring Mountain Road and Sahara Avenue. In total, it will cost $33 million.
A new $40 million project kicked off this summer. It includes work on Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay Road to the 215 Beltway, as well as Spring Mountain Road from Mel Torme Way to Koval Lane.
Advice for Drivers
For now, Kulin recommends that drivers slow down when in construction zones.
They should also follow instructions from signs, signals, and flaggers located on the roads, Kulin adds.
Many drivers opt to use alternate roads to get to their destinations.
Summer Uptick in Casino Visitors
Also, starting on June 1, Las Vegas casinos were once again allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity. That led to more traffic on local roads and highways.
The milestone came after over a year of either shuttering of casinos or requiring them to operate at lower capacity as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Also, sporadic incidents involving police activity were among other reasons for worse traffic on and near the Strip in recent months.
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